WASHINGTON COUNTY NEWS

Oregon local news from Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and more

TIGARD -- Tigard-Tualatin School District has scrapped its snow make-up day plan for a new one.

The original plan called for a make-up day on Jan. 30, a teacher training and work day, and March 30, a parent conference day. But the Tigard-Tualatin Education Association's council, which represents teachers, didn't approve the plan because it would have cost teachers a work day, said Rob Saxton, district superintendent.

Instead of the school year ending June 11, students will now attend school June 12, and 15-18. The district lost five school days last month due to snow storms.

-- Melissa Navas;
melissanavas@news.oregonian.com

Geoff Spalding

Geoff Spalding, formerly a captain at the Fullerton Police Department in California, was named police chief by Mayor-elect Denny Doyle on Dec. 22. Spalding and Beaverton Deputy Chief Terry Merritt were the finalists to replace David G. Bishop.

The 52-year-old Spalding was considered for positions in Gresham, Astoria and Camas, Wash., before accepting Beaverton's offer. He will be officially sworn-in at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at Beaverton City Hall.

-- Brad Schmidt; bradschmidt@news.oregonian.com

The Sherwood School Board approved four make-up instructional days for students who missed a week of school in December due to weather.

Students will attend school on Feb. 16, which is President's Day; March 30, which was a staff development day; and June 11 and 12.

The board approved the plan 3-0 on Wednesday. Members Mark Christie and Connie Hansen were absent.

The case: A Beaverton man accused last year of illegal drug sales came to a plea bargain agreement with prosecutors earlier this month.

Ethan Bryant Swaney, 20, was arrested, along with two other men, on Oct. 27 by police near Beaverton Town Square. Detectives had received a tip about people selling the synthetic narcotic ecstasy, according to Det. Pam Yazzolino, spokeswoman for the Beaverton Police Department. Police confiscated 175 ecstasy tablets during the arrests, Yazzolino said.

Intel was narrowly profitable in the fourth quarter of last year, according to financial results issued this afternoon, and the company said all it knows about the immediate future is that profits will continue to shrink.

"The economy and the industry are in the process of resetting to a new baseline from which growth will resume," Paul Otellini, Intel's chief executive, said in a written statement. "While the environment is uncertain, our fundamental business strategies are more focused than ever."

TIGARD - Several businesses were evacuated early this morning when a worker found a suspicious object near a dumpster and thought it was a bomb.

It turned out to be a harmless soil-sampling pipe, said Jim Wolf, a Tigard Police spokesman.

The 7:25 a.m. incident at Stanley Convergent Security Solutions, 15495 S.W. Sequoia Parkway, resulted in about 50 people being ordered to leave the area as a precaution, Wolf said.

Two Beaverton schools -- one a public magnet school, the other a private school -- have made the GreatSchools list of the top five performing high schools in Oregon.

The School of Science and Technology, a science magnet school for students in grades 9-12 in the Beaverton School District, was honored in the academic performance category.

Jesuit High School, a Catholic, co-educational high school, was recognized in the category of Parents' Choice private schools.

Jonathan Robert Jennings

The case: A 28-year old transient, scheduled for trial in April on multiple sexual abuse charges from last summer, instead entered pleas Wednesday in Washington County Circuit Court.

Jonathan Robert Jennings was accused of drilling holes in public restroom stalls and leaving behind child pornography at Tualatin Community Park and the Tualatin Public Library. The damage and pornographic items were discovered July 22 in the library men's room and Aug. 1 and 3 in the park's men's room. Police discovered Jennings' fingerprints in three locations in the two public restrooms, according to Capt. Larry Braaksma, spokesman for the Tualatin Police Department.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski said he intends to challenge in federal court Thursday's decision by federal energy regulators to uphold their approval of the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas terminal, proposed for 20 miles east of Astoria on the Columbia River.

At its last regular meeting before the change in presidential administration, the The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission denied requests to rehear its controversial approval of the terminal project.

Pablo Alejandro Guzman

The case: A 19-year old Hillsboro gang member has entered guilty pleas in a May 2007 revenge murder and June 2007 robbery. Pablo Alejandro Guzman was arrested Oct. 2, 2007, after the May 20 stabbing death of Constantino Cruz. Casimiro Blancas, whom Cruz had previously beaten in a fistfight, was tried and convicted of Cruz' murder in a May 2008 trial by a Washington County jury.

Update: On Monday, Guzman pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter in the Cruz case, and two counts of attempted assault in the later robbery.